


That Would Be Enough

by UpsideAround



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FlashVibe Secret Santa 2016, Light Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 07:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9062206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpsideAround/pseuds/UpsideAround
Summary: Soulmarks weren't supposed to change. Soulmarks didn't change. Fate must have hated him, because Barry's soulmark had been erased once when he was eleven, and brutally slashed out when he was in his twenties.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Flashvibe Secret Santa, and I have some outtakes I'll be publishing as drabbles. Written for adorkablebarry.tumblr.com. 
> 
> s/o to general-leiia.tumblr.com and marian-elisa.tumblr.com -- They both read it through to make sure I didn't have any dumb typos or other mistakes

Barry Allen wasn’t normal. Not in any sense of the word. **  
**

His DNA wasn’t normal; he had been hit with dark matter and struck by lightning, which gave him super speed and a mind able to process information at insanely high speeds. But that isn’t the point of this story. 

No, what makes this story interesting is Barry Allen and his soulmark. 

Soulmarks aren’t supposed to change, but Barry was in his twenties and had already lost two of them. He was eleven when he lost his first soulmate. It happened the same night his mother died. His soulmark was just erased. Gone.

Destiny must have hated him, because on that night when he needed reassurance of a future most, when he needed a happy ending with a soulmate, he lost everything. It was all was ripped away with the death of his mother. 

His forearm was blank for a few years, until one day he woke up with _Iris West_ written on his skin. Iris West, his best friend? Seventh grade Barry didn’t believe it. But eventually, they slowly fell into an easy relationship of sorts, a relationship that they never quite called “dating” until they were both out of college, although they never dated anyone else. 

And then the particle accelerator exploded, and Barry got struck by lightning. The lightning left scars where it shot through Barry’s arm, brutally slashing out Iris’s name.

Iris, on the other hand, got to watch as the particle accelerator destroyed her city and her soulmark slowly fade into blank skin. Gone was the Barry Allen written in small font. 

Everyone assumed Barry was dead. The explosion, Iris’s soulmark fading, it all pointed to his death. 

It was a shock to Barry, waking up to a world drastically different than the one he had left. This was a world where everyone he loved thought he was dead, a world where Iris had moved on, a world where he somehow had an ability to move faster than he ever thought was possible, a world where Iris wasn’t the name on his forearm anymore.

Instead, he had a stranger’s chicken scratch on his forearm.

He almost told Iris, he really did. He was standing outside CC Jitters, ready to walk in and show her he was okay. 

But he stopped. She was there, yes, but she was sitting across a table, smiling and laughing with a blond guy. She looked so genuinely happy, Barry didn’t want to risk upsetting that balance. She would likely feel guilty for moving on, and then neither of them would be happy. 

So he turned around and left. 

Cisco and Caitlin welcomed him back to STAR Labs. They had a silent understanding of Barry’s situation.

Now, in this new world, all he had was his team. Cisco and Caitlin became his support network, and Dr. Wells even offered some well-meaning words every now and then. 

It took him three months to figure out who his new soulmate was. After working with the team for so long, he finally recognized the signature. 

Well, he wasn’t even one who recognized it. He remembered it very vividly—He was showing Wells his lightning scar when seemingly out of nowhere, Wells asks Cisco to sign his name on a sheet of paper. 

That was almost unnecessary, as Barry could see the way Cisco paled and tensed the second he saw Barry’s forearm. 

Barry stared in awe as Cisco pulled off the half-glove he used to cover his soulmark on his right hand. Written in his very own small handwriting was a printed Barry Allen on Cisco’s wrist. 

By the time they weren’t completely tied up with the Reverse Flash and the betrayal of Dr. Wells, it had been well over a few months since they first realized they were soulmates. 

Their first date was awkward, to say the least. It just happened to be around the time Barry was getting to know Iris and Joe again, so he was already a little emotionally strung out. 

And Barry will never forget how Cisco still managed to be his normal dorky self, putting Barry at ease despite his turmoil of thoughts and emotions. 

Barry was so strung out, he was practically phasing through his chair. As soon as Cisco realized what was going on, he took Barry’s hand and gripped it tightly. Barry found himself exhaling and looking up. Cisco grinned, and Barry found himself lost in his eyes.

It wasn’t long for an easy relationship to blossom. Well, not that it was easy per se, but it felt right. Barry supposed all relationships with a soulmate felt like that. 

He began giving Cisco quick goodbye kisses before he went off to be The Flash. Cisco asked him why one night, (“is it because you’re afraid that one day you won’t come back?”) but after that evening together, they didn’t talk about it. 

Harry Wells turned a blind eye when he caught Barry and Cisco making out in the lab; Barry sitting on top of Cisco’s desk and Cisco standing between Barry’s legs. Barry’s hands moved through Cisco’s hair and brushed along his neck.

Harrison Wells made eye contact with Barry for half a second before turning heel and leaving the room. 

And if Barry was being honest, this was the moment that he started to trust Harry. The fact that neither Barry nor Cisco were ready to broadcast their relationship yet, and Harry understood and respected this spoke volumes. 

Caitlin was more comfortable with the two of them—She didn’t even blink when Cisco tugged Barry in for a kiss after he got off his treadmill. Barry didn’t even realize until a few minutes later that he and Cisco hadn’t even told Caitlin about their relationship yet. 

Six months later, when their lives and relationships were fairly stable, Cisco asked Barry to move in. But he asked in the weirdest way possible. 

_“Um, guys?” Barry asked, punching the criminal that he was fighting._

_“Hm?” Cisco said through the coms._

_“Why is there something stuck in the foot of my suit?” Barry sped around the criminal, distracting the thief with the bright light. “It feels like a key or something.”_

_“There might be a key in your suit, yes. A key to my apartment.”_

_Barry held the thief down as police cars pulled up. “A key to you—Cisco, are you asking me to move in?”_

_“I might be.”_

_Barry heard the telltale sound of Caitlin sighing and putting her head in her hands. “Don’t look at me like that Caitlin, I panicked! I was holding the key, trying to figure out how to ask my wonderful amazing boyfriend to move in, when all of a sudden you need help down in medical! So I tossed the key into Barry’s suit without thinking, and went to help you,” Cisco said defensively._

_Barry sighed. “You are such an idiot. Of course I’ll move in with you.”_

_He didn’t miss Cisco’s triumphant little “yes” as he sped back toward S.T.A.R. Labs._

As Barry developed as a hero, Flash missions got progressively more difficult. There were kidnapping situations, near-death scares, so many awful events that should have torn them apart. But it only forged their relationship into something much stronger. 

When Barry was left bruised and broken after a fight with a particularly difficult meta, Cisco was right at his side, waiting for him to wake up. And when he did, Cisco immediately set up his base next to Barry’s recovery bed, using his tablet as his primary computer. 

And when Cisco was taken hostage by some bank robbers, The Flash made it to the scene in record time. The criminals were left handcuffed for the police, and the Flash rushed back to S.T.A.R. Labs with Cisco. Barry Allen kissed his boyfriend deeply, melting into the relief that Cisco was okay. 

So yes, their lives were filled with danger. And every one of them knew that as Barry ran back in time to get information out of Eobard Thawne, or “Evil Wells” as Cisco had dubbed him. 

Barry felt the fabric of time rip into a wormhole for him to run back into.

Cisco watched Barry disappear off of his monitor. The second he did, Cisco felt a searing pain on his right hand. 

A knot tying in his stomach, Cisco grabbed his hand and yanked off the half glove he used to cover his soulmark. 

“No, no, no,” he said as the soulmark burned intensely, shining in gold as it morphed. 

The computer beeped indicating Barry had returned, just as the pain from Cisco’s soulmark subsided. 

Except when the light faded, Cisco’s soulmark wasn’t Barry anymore. A stranger’s handwriting graced his hand, written in elegant calligraphy.  

His heart dropped to the floor.

 

* * *

 

The second the rip in time enveloped him, Barry felt the same gut-wrenching burning sensation. Its tendrils tore at his arm as he ran through the darkness that was time. He felt a sandpaper feeling centered around the place where Barry knew his soulmark was. The place where he had stared at in amazement many nights in a row, amazed he found his soulmate and his soulmate loved him back. 

But now, the winds of time were tearing at his arm and at his soul. He didn’t stop running, but he felt a knot of hot panic in his stomach.

The moment his feet touched down in the time where he was supposed to be, he ran into one of the more secluded hallways of S.T.A.R. Labs. He pulled his arm out of his suit. 

Cisco’s handwriting was gone. The only thing that was left on his arm was the scar from the lightning. 

Barry collapsed into himself, rubbing his soulmark as if he could fix it. 

“And I was really happy this time too,” he whispered to himself.

“Barry?” Dr. Wells, Eobard, was wheeling toward him. 

Right. He was here to get information. 

 

* * *

 

 

They knew time travel was dangerous, but they never expected anything like this.

“It makes sense,” Harry said, glancing between Cisco and Barry. They were each staring at their own soul mark–or where the soulmark used to be. Barry gripped Cisco’s hand like a lifeline, feeling his pulse under his skin. 

“How does this make sense?” Barry finally asked. He couldn’t manage to make his voice louder than a small murmur.

Harry sighed. “The past is still the past. Changing one thing, no matter how small, can be multiplied exponentially.

“Wait,” Cisco said, “Why did my mark just change now? Normally messing with time also screws with our memory. Can’t remember a timeline that never happened, right?“

The small waver in Cisco’s voice didn’t escape Barry’s notice. If anything, it made his heart tighten even more. 

“Same reason we all remember Eobard Thawne. Or you do, rather. It was never my timeline,” Harry said simply. “Even though he erased himself from your timeline, the events were still closely tied to your fate and future.”

Cisco laughed slightly. “Time travel is weird, man.”

Barry managed a smile and pressed their foreheads together. Cisco closed his eyes gently. Barry let his face fall. 

 

* * *

 

They made it home, neither of them speaking more than a few words at a time. 

Barry was consumed in his thoughts. He knew this was his fault, he must have unwittingly changed something that uprooted the core of their souls and changed their soulmarks.

And Barry, well, now he didn’t have a soulmark at all. His arm was blank, no soulmate. He didn’t know why Cisco hadn’t left yet—obviously there was no reason for him to stay. Barry knew in this timeline he was destined to be alone. 

What hurt the most was that it seemed like only yesterday that everything was fine. That he and Cisco were destined to be together and no power could stop them. That he had someone who cared about him, and someone he could care about. Through thick and thin, they were there for each other. 

But that was yesterday. 

Barry stood up from the couch they were sitting side by side on. “I’m going for a run.”

Cisco stared straight ahead. “Uh huh. Like hell you are. Sit back down.”

“Cisco—” 

“No, we’re gonna talk about this.”

Barry ran his hand through his hair, fighting the itching behind his eyes and the horrible squeezing of his heart. “What is there to talk about? I won’t make you stay. I can move out, we can be office friends, I promise I won’t—”

“Barry, what are you talking about?” Cisco said, standing up, standing in front of Barry.

“Your soulmate.” Barry quickly wiped a tear from his face. “Don’t let me get in the way.”

Barry watched Cisco stare a few moments. 

“You deserve whoever is written on your hand,” Barry said, speaking softly to hide how his voice was breaking. “Not me.”

“Barry…”

“No, Cisco, I was the one who screwed up. I went back in time. And now, I lost your name and you have someone else.” Barry shook his head. “No, this is my fault.”

“I’m not upset that our names don’t match,” Cisco said, taking a cautious step toward Barry. “I’m upset because you seem to think that something as small as a tattoo on my hand is going to tell me how I feel about you.”

“You shouldn’t have to be stuck with someone who isn’t your soulmate,” Barry whispered. 

“Barry Allen, you are not listening to me.” Cisco took a step forward and placed his hands on either side of Barry, holding him close. “You are fast, gorgeous, and sweet, but you are also a terrible listener.”

Barry ducked his head. Cisco reached up and cupped Barry’s face with one hand. 

“I don’t care about whatever markings, okay?” Cisco said, eyes tracing the entirety of Barry’s face. “I care about what we have here. Soulmates or not.”

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the gentle touch of Cisco’s fingers on his neck and the reassuring closeness of Cisco’s grip on his arm. Soulmates or not. The words swirled around in his mind, a whirlpool that enthralled his mind.

Cisco must have sensed his silence, because Barry felt Cisco inhale gently.

“The name on my hand doesn’t mean anything to me, okay?” Cisco said, running his thumb along Barry’s cheek, “I don’t feel anything when I think about whoever the hell is written on my hand.”

Barry looked away, but Cisco lifted his chin gently up again. 

“You’re the one I feel things for,” Cisco murmured, close and intimate. “I don’t care about what’s written on our skin because you’re written on my heart.”

Barry raised his gaze and met Cisco’s eyes. They stood like that for a moment before Barry collapsed forward and embraced Cisco tightly. He felt Cisco squeeze back and press his face into Barry’s neck.

Barry exhaled gently as he felt Cisco hold him tighter. They breathed in sync, their hearts beating as one. 

“Was that kinda sappy?” Cisco asked suddenly. Barry felt him lift up his head. 

Barry laughed weakly. “Unfortunately, it kinda was.” Barry pressed his lips into Cisco’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Barry pulled back from their tight embrace. “No, Cisco, I mean it. I’ve lost every other soulmate I’ve had.” He ran his hands down from Cisco’s arms. He held their hands in between the two of them, playing with their fingers. “Ever since my soulmark disappeared, and before that even, I was so afraid I was gonna lose you too.”

“Barry, I promise you’re not going to lose me,” Cisco said, tightening the grip of their hands. 

“I know, I…” Barry sighed and let his eyes trace Cisco’s face. And then he leaned forward and gently rocked them together, pulling Cisco into a soft kiss.

Cisco gently pulsed back, untangling their fingers so he could run his hands through Barry’s hair and along the back of his neck. 

Barry pulled back back slightly. He was warmed to his very core. 

“Oh my god,” Cisco breathed, “I fucking love you so much.”

Barry flashed a grin before pulling Cisco back in for another kiss. 

 

* * *

 

 

They fell asleep together that night, tightly intertwined as if the universe was ready to rip them apart. 

And maybe that changed the universe’s mind about the two of them, because the first thing they noticed the next morning was Cisco’s handwriting tattooed on Barry’s arm. 

In awe, Barry took Cisco’s hand and found that the other soulmark was gone. He brushed a thumb over the Barry Allen newly written there.

Of course, the second thing they noticed was Cisco’s blaring ringtone. And when they let it go to voicemail, Harry’s voice came through the receiver, worried about some sort of emergency. 

Barry sighed softly and kissed Cisco softly. 

“See you in five minutes,” he said.

**Author's Note:**

> I headcanon that Cisco has doctor's handwriting.
> 
> Also, if anyone has any specific things they want to see from the drabbles, let me know in the comments!


End file.
